Closing session of China’s 19th National Congress of the Communist Party; see pics

At the closing session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the party enshrined President Xi Jinping's political thought into its constitution on Tuesday, putting him in the same company as the founder of modern China, Mao Zedong, and cementing his power ahead of a new top leadership line-up. (Reuters Photo)

02 / 19

Ushers throw their hats in the air at the Tiananmen Square before the start of the closing session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in Beijing. (Reuters Photo)

03 / 19

The party will announce its new Standing Committee, the apex of power in China, around midday (0400 GMT) on Wednesday, culminating a twice-a-decade leadership reshuffle. The current committee is made up of seven people. (Reuters Photo)

04 / 19

The party will announce its new Standing Committee, the apex of power in China, around midday (0400 GMT) on Wednesday, culminating a twice-a-decade leadership reshuffle. The current committee is made up of seven people. (Reuters Photo)

05 / 19

Also included in the amended constitution was the party's "absolute" leadership over the military, that the fight against corruption will continue, Xi's "Belt and Road" development initiative, supply-side reforms, and giving play to the "decisive role" of market forces in resource allocation. (Reuters Photo)

06 / 19

Whether Xi was able to have his name "crowned" in the party constitution had been seen as a key measure of his power, elevating him to the level of previous leaders exemplified by Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory. (Reuters Photo)

07 / 19

Ethnic minority delegates hold their ballot folders on the steps of the Great Hall of the People after the closing ceremony of China's 19th Party Congress in Beijing. China's ruling Communist Party moved Tuesday to confirm Xi Jinping's rise to becoming the country's most powerful leader in decades by amending its constitution to add his name and ideology. (AP Photo)

08 / 19

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and former Chinese President Jiang Zemin are seen during the closing session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China. (Reuters Photo)

09 / 19

A ballot box is seen after the closing session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing. (Reuters Photo)

10 / 19

Chinese military delegates walk down the steps of the Great Hall of the People after the closing ceremony of China's 19th Party Congress in Beijing. (AP Photo)

11 / 19

Xi has rapidly consolidated power since assuming party leadership in late 2012 and then the presidency the next year. (Reuters Photo)

12 / 19

The party also announced a new Central Committee, the largest of its elite ruling bodies, that did not include anti-corruption tsar and current Standing Committee member Wang Qishan, meaning he will not be on the new Standing Committee. (Reuters Photo)

13 / 19

The party gave Xi the title of "core" leader a year ago, a significant strengthening of his position ahead of the congress, which is held once every five years.(AP Photo)

14 / 19

Xi's more recent predecessors, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, both had the party constitution amended to include their guiding thoughts, but without their names directly attached. (Reuters Photo)

15 / 19

Delegates in traditional clothes of an ethnic minority arrive at the Great Hall of the People before the start of the closing session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in Beijing. (Reuters Photo)

16 / 19

Chinese President Xi Jinping, former president Jiang Zemin and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang prepare to leave after the closing session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing. (Reuters Photo)

17 / 19

Military delegates arrive for the closing session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing. (Reuters Photo)

18 / 19

The congress holds that the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential attribute of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest strength of this system. (Reuters Photo)

19 / 19

China's top banking regulator, Guo Shuqing, and veteran banker Jiang Chaoliang, front runners to succeed Zhou Xiaochuan as central bank governor, both made it to the Central Committee. (AP Photo)